Surprise Surprise!
by Renata Swift
Summary: Princess Crystal wants to give her father the best birthday EVER....will she succeed with the surprise party...or not? What if everything goes wrong....and her father gets suspicious? Find out! Oneshot only! COMPLETED!


**Heya Everyone! Well here is my latest story - "The Birthday Surprise!"**

**Dedicated to - Krish, Delilah, Terra, Sanju, Faiza, Manali, Amruta...all my friends!**

**Thanks to Julie Horwitz for the kind review on my other story - Stories and Dreams! Same goes for Krish and PrincessHolly (Delilah!)**

**All the characters are copyright Disney...But Crystal and other new names are mine!**

**On with the show!**

**P.S. -- This takes place AFTER Milo's Return, when Atlantis surfaces.**

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**The Birthday Surprise! **

Crystal sighed. Dad's birthday in a week, she thought, and I haven't thought of a gift for him.

"….and therefore, '(-x) into (-y) would be equal to…." Crystal's Math teacher looked around the room. "… Crystal, can you answer this?"

"Wha..?" Crystal snapped out of her daze. "Uh…(xy)?" she asked meekly.

Her teacher frowned. " Crystal, just because you are the princess of Atlantis does NOT in any way give you the permission to daydream in class!"

Just the, the bell rang. "I want you to do all the exercises on page number 34. See you tomorrow!" The children groaned.

"So, Crystal, thought of a gift yet?" Crystal's best friend Talamin joked as they went out of the school. "Not funny, Tala," Crystal sighed. "I found an old book near the small clearing, you know, near the school, but I can't it out of the rock!"

"Let's go try," urged Tala.

When they reached the clearing, Crystal pointed to a book stuck in the rock. "Can we get that out?" Crystal asked. Tala smirked. "Oh yes…we just need a few cherry bombs, a pickaxe, and about 10 dynamite sticks. Judging by your figure, I don't think you might be able to carry all that…."

Crystal smiled at first, then frowned. She knew she didn't look anything like her parents. She had dark brown hair with natural light brown streaks, inherited from her father. She had long, slender legs with an extremely tiny waist, like her mother. She also had big, almond shaped brown eyes, courtesy her father.

And yet, she didn't look ANYTHING like her parents.

"Let's try with our crystals," Tala said. "Good idea!"

They touched their crystals to the rock, and concentrated HARD. Suddenly, the book just…..plopped out of the rock.

"Cool…" the girls muttered. Just then Crystal swore. "I need to go home! Maatem will KILL me if I don't turn up! See you later, OK, Tala?" With that, Princess Crystal Milo Thatch sped out of the tiny clearing, faster than a supersonic jet.

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Crystal walked into the Royal Library, in the Royal Atlantean Palace, put her bag down on a chair, sat down and sighed loudly and started muttering under her breath. "C'mon….where do I keep it?..."

Her father King Milo James Thatch looked up from the parchment he was reading and looked at his 12-year old daughter. "Something wrong, honey?" the lean scholar queried. Crystal nearly jumped out of her skin, for she hadn't noticed him sitting there.

"Uhh….no, Dad, everything's just hunky-dory," she assured him. Milo went back to studying the parchment. Crystal grabbed her bag, and ran as fast as she could to her room, so as to hide the book.

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"….In my drawer? Noooo…Maatem will surely find out…then again, she is part of the surprise birthday plan….OK then, drawer it is!" Crystal triumphantly put the ancient book in her personal, most private drawer, the locked it. "Whew," she sighed.

Just then, her mother, Queen Kidagakash Thatch (having taken on her husband's name after marriage) walked into the room. "Have you made the call to the caterer's yet? And also called for the party stuff?" she whispered urgently in her daughter's ear. "I was just going to," she told her mother.

"So what are you waiting for? Go now, or else we will have to be put on the mile-long waiting list of the caterers!" Kida yelled at her daughter. Both then went their separate ways.

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"Hello….Levi Caterers?" Crystal twined the phone cord in her hand. "Yes….I would like to place an order for the 21st….yes….chicken wings….lobster… meatballs……juices…NO! NON-ALCOHOLIC, OF COURSE! Yes…umm hmm… yeah….Royal Atlantean Palace…..seriously! No, this is the Princess….Ok…Thanks." She hung up. Suddenly a voice behind her spoke up.

" Crystal?"

Crystal jumped with fright. She turned around to see Milo standing in the doorway, frowning slightly.

"Dad," Crystal breathed. "You have GOT to stop sneaking up on me!"

Milo grinned slightly. "That's what I'm here for!"

"I have to finish my homework. See you!" With that, Crystal skipped out of the room.

But Milo Thatch was pondering as to why his daughter was acting jumpy all this time……

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"Well, did you get everything ready?" Kida asked her daughter, who was reading a book. Crystal put down the book she was reading, then sighed impatiently. "Yes, Maatem…..I phoned the caterers yesterday, and bought the party stuff today after school…. Will you RELAX? I have done EVERYTHING. Now you just have to hope he likes it!"

Just then, the phone rang. "I'll get it," Crystal walked over to the phone and picked it up. "Hello? Yes…speaking….WHAT!" Crystal went pale. "You have GOT to be kidding me…..YES, THIS WAS VERY INCONVENIENT! GOODBYE AND GOOD RIDDANCE!" she yelled into the receiver. "What is it?" Kida asked nervously.

"That was the catering service," Crystal was still white.

"They had to shut down suddenly….they cancelled."

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"Oh Gods…..what are we going to do NOW?" Kida and Crystal were pacing up and down the throne room.

"Gonna do what?" Milo walked into the hall. Kida and Crystal jumped.

"You know, both of you have been acting pretty strange these few days," he remarked, sitting down on the throne and rubbing his temples.

"Who…us?" Crystal remarked weakly. "No…no…we're fine, Dad, just fine…."

"I hope," Kida muttered under her breath.

"Well, I have some more documents to translate," Milo got up and walked toward the library. "See you later, then…."

Kida slumped in the chair. "That was the ONLY service willing to cater to us….what are we going to do?"

"I…I don't know…..should we try making the food ourselves?" Crystal was still pacing up and down.

"We can try…." Kida got up.

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"Okaaayyy…it says here, to make meatballs, first prepare the stuffing….and we're gonna need some bread…." Crystal read from the cookery book. "Done that – I asked the cook for help," Kida put down a bowl filled with some mash. "Hey – why can't the cook prepare the food?" Crystal frowned.

"He's on leave, I called the poor man up for help," Kida replied.

"Can I just read the recipe for you?" Crystal scanned the cookery book.

"Okay," Kida wiped her sweaty forehead.

"Here I go," Crystal started to read.

"1 lb. chicken breast," "Check," said Kida.

"1 egg,"

"Check."

"1/2 cup soft bread crumbs,"

"Check."

1/2 cup ketchup?"

"Check."

"1 tbsp. parsley flakes?"

"Check!"

"1 tsp. onion powder?"

"Check…."

"1 tsp. salt…"

"Yes…"

"1/4 tsp. pepper?"

"Check!"

"Ok…it says here to thoroughly combine all ingredients; shape into 1" balls (36). Arrange 18 meatballs on dish. Cook at HIGH 4 - 6 minutes; stir once. Rotate dish after 3 minutes. Drain liquid. Repeat with remaining meatballs. Serve with favourite sauce or gravy." Crystal read out the ingredients.

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After some time, Kida took out the meatballs from the oven. She picked one up…but it became liquid in her hand! "WHAT!" she yelled. "Ooops…" Crystal read sheepishly. "The recipe calls for ¼ cup of ketchup…not ½….."

Kida was grunting now. "At this rate…..we'll never get anything finished!" Just then a few familiar faces popped in from the kitchen door……

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"Audrey!" Crystal yelled.

Audrey Ramierez walked into the kitchen, stepping over the pile of slop that was once a meatball. "Are you trying to wreck this place, or WHAT?" she smiled. Just then, a few more people came in – Preston Whitmore, Joshua Sweet, Cookie, Vinny Santorini, Mrs. Packard, and Gaton Moliere.

"Oh, thank you, thank you so much," Crystal held her hands up toward the ceiling.

"Why are you here?" Kida asked, bending down to clean up the mess.

"Wanted to see the old boy on his birthday…don't tell him we're here!" Preston whispered.

"Actually, we have a secret too…and also a major problem…." Crystal explained their predicament to the crew.

"Why, I'll make the food!" Cookie replied. "That's a good idea..his cooking skill are certainly better now…" Vinny muttered.

"Ah vill 'elp with ze decorations!" Mole started to jump up and down.

"We will keep Milo away from you," Mrs Packard and Audrey said together.

"LET'S DO THIS!" they yelled.

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Soon, the 21st approached. Crystal tiptoed past her parents' room with her wrapped gift, walked into the Great Hall, and placed her gift on the huge pile of gifts for the king. She placed a sticker on her gift, though – lips which said "SWAK" – Sealed With A Kiss.

Suddenly Audrey stepped out from behind a pillar. "He's still asleep, isn't he?" she muttered. "Yeah," Crystal replied. Suddenly Kida and the rest of the gang came in, carrying huge containers, filled with food, and placed it on the table. "I'm glad zat's over with," Mole muttered, who seemed to be carrying the heaviest container.

Suddenly Preston Whitmore rushed into the Hall. "He's coming!" he muttered urgently.

"Places, everyone!" Kida yelled. They rushed behind pillars. A very sleepy-looking Milo walked into the Hall, rubbed his eyes, and put his owl-glasses on. "I HATE those glasses," Crystal whispered to Audrey.

"Kida? Crystal? Where are you?" Milo called out weakly. Mole, who was hiding behind the curtain, dramatically pulled them back. Sunlight filtered into the Hall. "What!" Milo gasped as he saw the pile of gifts and the glittering plates of food in front of him.

"Happy birthday Milo!" Everyone stepped out. "What?" Milo just stood there, staring at them all. Tears leaked from his brown eyes. "Thanks, guys," he said softly. Kida came upto him and planted a kiss on his cheek. "Let's hit the food, what say you?" Crystal yelled at the top of her voice. "Nah,….let him open the gifts first!" Vinny yelled.

Milo walked toward the gift pile. He picked up the gift from Kida. He opened it and found a snazzy watch. "Thanks," he gave Kida a hug. The next gift he got was from Mr Whitmore, a cool carpet. From Mole, he got a purple glittering rock, which Mole pointed out was amethyst – Milo's birthstone. So on and on he opened the gifts – till he came to Crystal's gift. Crystal's hands were sweaty now. Milo opened the gift, took a good look at the book and gasped.

"This book," he croaked, "is probably over a million years old…it tells us about the customs and techniques of the Atlantians in that period!"

"What?" Crystal looked blankly at her father. "I didn't get time to read it…"

"Where did you get this from?" Milo was still staring in shock at the book. "I got it from a creepy looking rock in a tiny clearing near my school….I thought you might like it…" Crystal shuffled her feet.

Milo went up to her and hugged her tightly. "Dad…your'e…choking me…" Crystal gasped. Milo let go.

"Thanks…. You know how much this book can help us?" he asked Crystal.

"I didn't get time to read it," Crystal repeated.

Milo stood up. "Thanks, you guys, for the best birthday in the whole world!" He rubbed his stomach.

"I'm hungry…can we hit the food now?"

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I hope you enjooyed my story...the more reviews...the more stories!

xoxoxoxo love - neoprincessrini!


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